NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
“Don’t go…”
“That’s the cave that created the strange fog. I don’t know what’s inside. It’s not safe to go in our current state.”
“Don’t go…”
In the dark cave, the voices of two people echoed.
The long and dark cave passage stretched endlessly, with no visible end.
“There’s definitely something in there related to the fog. I’ll just check it out and come back, so let me go.”
“You’re my bodyguard.”
Serasie grabbed the wrist of Kalen, who was trying to leave her at the cave entrance and head inside.
Then she let go.
She knew very well that they couldn’t handle the monsters pouring in if they got trapped in the mysterious fog.
However, the only person the girl abandoned by the world could rely on was Kalen.
“You’re my bodyguard…”
The voice lacked confidence.
It clearly showed how confused Serasie’s heart was.
It was simple to infer that Kalen had decided to enter the cave alone, leaving Serasie at the entrance.
Perhaps because for some reason, there were no monsters around the cave entrance anymore.
If only the strange fog could be dispelled and they could at least figure out what was happening, there might be a way to solve the situation.
Kalen brushed the tangled hair off Serasie’s face, covered in tears and cold sweat.
“I’ll be right back.”
His voice was fairly calm.
Serasie caught a glimpse of Kalen in her obstructed view, which had been hidden by her hair.
Serasie responded in a choked voice.
“…Promise me.”
That statement didn’t suit her at all.
She had always believed that there was no trust in this world.
She always thought of betrayal first to protect herself from getting hurt.
And now… a promise?
As she thought about Kalen, the person who had become her sole support, Serasie extended her right hand.
The trembling right hand was extended, only extending the thumb and little finger.
“Promise me you’ll come back.”
Kalen stared at the extended hand for a moment before squatting down and interlacing his little finger with hers.
Then they aligned their thumbs as well.
“If you see any monsters, come inside.”
“I understand.”
Time was of the essence.
Kalen then released the intertwined fingers and headed inside.
“Promise…”
Serasie watched Kalen’s retreating back as it disappeared, then blankly stared at her own hand.
For some reason, she felt a little calmer.
*
How far did it go?
The seemingly endless passage soon revealed its end.
At the end lay a vast cavern.
Plop, plop.
Kalen’s cautious footsteps resonated loudly in the quiet cavern.
From the start, he had one question.
The symbol drawn at the cave entrance.
Kalen had seen that symbol before.
It was the sigil of the contract with the spirit called ‘Monarch’ that Sinaru had.
Upon closer inspection, there were slight differences.
Still, it was impossible to think there was no connection.
‘The Monarch supposedly seals something.’
According to Blamia, the spirit known as Monarch seals something.
The mysterious creature that attacked him and Sinaru was definitely related to that seal.
The thoughts continued, leading to a fairly plausible conclusion.
If this seal was set up to create a trap for Serasie…
“An altar?”
Kalen eventually reached a certain object in the middle of the large cavern.
The wide rectangular shape resembled a kind of altar.
The most crucial point was the smoke surrounding the altar.
An unidentified mist was spreading out from this altar in all directions.
“Fog, altar, magic…”
Is the fog caused by spirit magic rather than mundane magic?
While considering that possibility, Kalen began to examine the altar closely.
When he wiped it with his hand, a lot of rusted powder came off.
It appeared to have been abandoned for a long time.
Standing there, Kalen started to contemplate.
Should he destroy it?
It’s certain that the fog originates from here.
However, there’s no guarantee that breaking it would stop it.
If breaking it worsens the situation, it would be catastrophic.
He thought for a long time but acted quickly.
Anyway, the situation is already at its worst.
Serasie’s condition is not normal, and they can’t stay in the cave forever.
Die of hunger in the cave or get killed by monsters.
With his fingertips tingling with the frost wind’s energy, Kalen sighed.
“To live if it succeeds, to die if it fails.”
His lips slightly turned upward, and a hollow laugh escaped.
Indeed, he couldn’t quit gambling.
Kalen mumbled those words, and then…
Bang!
A loud explosion resounded throughout the cavern.
*
Bang!
Startled.
Serasie, who had been sitting listlessly at the cave entrance, shivered at the sudden explosion.
Her head instinctively turned toward the dark passage.
Explosion?
The passage is the direction Kalen went.
In the pitch-black passage that seemed to go on forever, an explosion was heard so clearly.
It was a severe shock to the still unstable Serasie.
“Ka, Kalen…”
Serasie tried to get up despite her weak knees.
At the same time, commotion began outside the cave.
The familiar cries of monsters that had been heard endlessly on their way here.
Her mana and energy had long been drained.
The only person she could trust in a life-or-death situation was Kalen.
Serasie forced herself to walk on her trembling legs.
Monsters are coming from outside.
Kalen has been caught in the explosion at the end of the passage.
There was no hope in sight.
When her head was spinning to the point of vomiting, the only thing that came to mind was the promise she had made with Kalen.
Serasie walked into the dark passage like that.
And soon, monsters began to pursue her from behind.
“Kalen…?”
At the end of the passage was a vast cavern.
In the darkness, the ruby that glowed red found the figure of a boy.
Eventually, her line of sight landed on a corner of the cavern.
“Kalen!”
Serasie was surprised.
Her legs, which felt like jelly, suddenly regained strength when she saw him.
Just seeing Kalen gave her a sense of relief.
However, there was no time to think about the reason.
“There are monsters outside…!”
Just as she was about to inform Kalen that monsters were heading toward the cave.
Kalen’s dark pupils turned toward her.
“There are… monsters.”
“Get out!!”
Kalen shouted at Serasie, gripping his chest.
“Wh…?”
“Run away, Serasie!”
A reaction completely different from what she expected.
She told him that monsters were coming from outside, and he tells her to leave?
Her briefly blanked mind snapped back to reality when she noticed blood spilling from Kalen’s lips.
Only then did she take notice of other details.
The dark cavern.
A strange rectangular object in the middle.
And the two lights embedded in the ceiling of the cavern.
No, they weren’t lights.
They resembled eyes.
Eyes so massive that she didn’t immediately realize they belonged to a monster.
The two enormous eyes of an unimaginably huge monster.
An indescribable fear overwhelmed her.
Her legs, which had regained some strength, collapsed again.
Even though Kalen had told her to run, she couldn’t move.
Was it because her legs were still weak?
Or was she scared to flee somewhere without Kalen?
While she hesitated,
The monstrous creature emerging slowly from the darkness approached Serasie.
When she saw the grotesque, hand-like appendage coming toward her, Serasie closed her eyes.
Did her brother and Makbel really use this monster to dispose of her?
In a way, it was fortunate.
This bitter sadness would disappear with death.
The wall of her heart, which she had tried so hard to close, began to crumble helplessly as it reached the end.
She shouldn’t have been born in the north.
She wished she had been the daughter of an ordinary, slightly poor, family instead of a duchess.
All she wanted was to be loved.
The knights who were always prepared to turn their backs on any moment, would they feel a little sad for her?
Makbel and Toren would be thrilled to have gotten rid of their competitor.
Father… she couldn’t imagine what expression he would have.
Still, it was all ending here.
Serasie resigned herself to this, her eyes closed.
But even after what felt like an eternity of a few seconds, she didn’t feel any pain.
Had she died too quickly to feel it?
Serasie opened her heavy eyelids, tears streaming down.
What she saw filling her retina was…
A boy standing between her and the monster, blocking its giant hand with his own, looking back at her.
“…”
“Miss, if you can hear me, nod your head.”
The boy’s body was in shambles.
His right arm and side, which blocked the monster’s hand, were already rotting away.
He was covered in injuries with barely any intact parts left.
What caught her eye the most was the blackened area near his heart and the fine cracks spreading across it.
He was enduring all this to protect her.
Serasie couldn’t help but nod.
“Can you cast a spell?”
Nod.
“Can you cast a spell of Combat Magic Rank 2?”
…Nod.
Kalen, who was reflected in Serasie’s retina, took a deep breath and looked at her clearly.
“Use it… on me.”
…
Serasie froze.
If she heard correctly, he was asking her to use a Rank 2 spell on his already damaged body.
It sounded like a death sentence.
“I’ve reached my limit. This is the only way.”
Kalen said with a strained voice.
“Way.”
A solution to the situation.
He was saying that using a Rank 2 Combat Magic on his corpse-like body was the way to resolve the situation.
“Head.”
At the urging tone,
Serasie shook her head.
Tears streamed down relentlessly.
But Kalen grabbed her arm and placed her hand on his chest.
“I’m not planning to die, so hurry up.”
The metallic taste of blood filled her bitten lips.
How could she refuse?
When this person was the only one who spoke the truth in a world stained with betrayal.
If she had the strength to run from the corner of the cavern to here,
If it was okay for her to leave him and escape,
Kalen’s chosen path was to protect her.
*Snap*
The moment Serasie nodded her head, a ripple of her last remaining mana emerged from her fingertips.
And in the wide cavern, another explosion echoed.
Then the obsidian world resembling Kalen’s irises enveloped everything.